


Tobias Had To Die

by PhantomEngineer



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 21:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15495150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomEngineer/pseuds/PhantomEngineer
Summary: Minerva and Eileen were best friends at school, so when Minerva found out that Eileen was being abused, there was only one possible conclusion - Tobias had to die. So he does, and their lives are better for it.Like the song 'Goodbye Earl' by the Dixie Chicks.





	Tobias Had To Die

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired a long time ago by @very-flirtatious-deatheater, who mentioned Minerva and Eileen offing Tobias a la 'Goodbye Earl' by the Dixie Chicks. 
> 
> I do intend to write this as a proper, full-length fic at a later point (called "Blackberry Jam"), but here is the short version for the time being.

The only problem came when the policeman knocked on the door of the house at Spinner’s End, but that was so much more minor than either Eileen or Minerva could ever have hoped for. Eileen opened the door, demure as always, nerves jangling as she took in the uniform. Her bruises were all gone, healed by time and elegantly crafted potions. He apologised, asking if she knew where Tobias had vanished to, as he’d once again failed to turn up to work. Eileen shrugged, her voice soft and innocent as she explained he’d left home weeks earlier, vanished from her life, leaving her none the wiser. From behind, Minerva rested a gentle hand on her shoulder and agreed with her clear Scottish lilt that he no longer lived there, though where he was was anyone’s guess.

The policeman nodded his acceptance, as men like Tobias were always prone to disappearing, leaving their wives abandoned and their bosses angry. He had no interest in wasting his time on another such case, especially if the wife in question seemed content. As he left he smiled to the bright eyed boy playing cheerfully on the doorstep with his red haired friend. Behind the closed door, Eileen slumped with relief as Minerva smiled, stoking her fingers through dark hair and down along the tracks of her tears.

“I told you no one would miss him,” she said calmly, the cold rage still permeating every syllable as she wrapped her arms around Eileen, kissing her softly.

When Lily was sorted into Gryffindor like Minerva, Severus found himself looking up at the teachers table from him place beside the kind blond Slytherin prefect who had offered him a seat. Minerva met his eyes, giving him an encouraging smile that reminded him of sitting beside Lily in the neat little kitchen as Eileen made jam and Minerva taught them spells they shouldn’t know. Houses didn’t matter, they both knew that. Across the room Lily waved excitedly at him, her face filled with delight, and he knew there was nothing to worry about. His mother and Minerva had been best friends despite different Houses, and now they lived together.

Severus hadn’t questioned why his father had left one day, abruptly vanishing and being replaced by the stern Scottish woman, but he had liked the change. The whole mood in the house had lightened, and his mother had started smiling, an expression he had never known her capable of before. Instead of hiding away with Lily behind bushes, the two children would play in the house, cleaner and better kept than before, delighted by the open magic the two witches performed. Minerva was more demanding than his father, expecting him to always been clean and neatly dressed, but it was worth it. Some questions were better not asked.

For the most part school went smoothly, Lily and Severus remaining friends despite the different houses. The Gryffindor boys proved to be annoyingly boisterous with a certain dislike for Slytherin that Minerva reckoned was connected to Sirius Black’s family issues and general prejudice in the wizarding world. She had explained a lot to them, things Eileen either hadn’t wanted to talk about or simply didn’t know due to her lengthy exclusion. But the Marauders as they called themselves seemed to prefer easier victims, and Minerva was careful to keep an eye out for Severus. He might not have been in her House, but she considered him to be her step-son, even if the law lagged behind on such matters.

Severus and Lily were careful to always obey the school rules, with Severus adamant to never be caught doing anything remotely naughty such as breaking curfew, even when tempted by others. Minerva might not be his mother as such, but the role she played was close enough that he felt a clear desire to avoid her disappointment. It was their good behaviour and passion for studies that made Minerva teach them how to be an Animagus one summer, casually doing so in the kitchen that had once been dark and dreary and now was filled with love and laughter. Their pride at finally accomplishing the transformation was nothing in comparison to Minerva’s. Eileen had cried, but they were tears of happiness not sorrow. She rarely cried from sorrow anymore. 

As he grew older, Severus put together the pieces of the puzzle for himself. Minerva was clearly not rich, just as Lily was not bathing in diamonds, but neither of them were as penniless as the Snapes had been when Tobias was still alive. He had figured out that his father had likely been disposed of, poisoned most probably, but he never mentioned it. He felt no sadness. Life was better without him. He had never missed him, the fearful shadow of wondering when he would return giving way to the glowing joy of realising he never would.

They stayed away from the bubbling war, as no one in the wizarding world cared about Cokeworth. Whenever Lily found Petunia to be unbearable she would sit in the kitchen as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones or ABBA played in the background, laughing along as Eileen taught Minerva muggle dances. Later she would dance those dances with Severus, in the same kitchen, and kiss him to the same music. She knew that Gryffindors and Slytherins could be best friends forever. She also knew that sometimes friendship bloomed into something else. She knew recipes to potions and recipes to jams, and that at a pinch you could brew potions in a stainless steel jam pan. Severus knew that the future was bright, even if it wasn’t always easy. Minerva knew that sometimes you had to take the law as more of a guideline than a strict set of rules, and that it was entirely possible to get away with murder. Eileen knew that sometimes people do get their happy endings, even if the road there had a few bumps in it.


End file.
